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Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Russell Mokhiber — The Time for Single Payer Has Come (So Why is Bernie Sanders Still Hawking ObamaCare?)

As Senator Bernie Sanders is proving, you have to choose — single payer or Obamneycare.

You can’t defend both.

They are incompatible.

During the 2016 primary election season, Bernie sided with the American people and single payer.

During the general election and since, Bernie settled in with the corporate Democrats and Ombaneycare.

Bernie has yet to introduce his single payer bill into the Senate — despite promises from his health care legislative assistant that he will do so.

(A Sanders aide told one single payer supporter that “Senator Sanders will definitely introduce a single payer bill in the Senate this Congress.” When asked to be more specific, the aide told the caller they can’t be more specific “because we don’t want to give the opposition time to organize against the bill.”)...

Hope on the horizon?

Last week, Dallas Mavericks owner and rumored presidential hopeful Mark Cuban came out for single payer.

And Cuban has the billions in the bank to make ballot access a slam dunk....

2 comments:

Because "independent" Bernie is carrying water for the Democratic Party?

If Democrats did introduce a single payer bill, and if by some miracle it moved out of committee, and if by some miracle Trump did an "only Nixon can go to China" stunt and threw his weight behind single payer and gets it passed, then Trump would get credit, not Democrats.

Remember that time Ted Kennedy blocked Nixon-Care because Ted didn't want Nixon to get credit for passing national health care?

So there is something to be said for giving Republicans enough rope to hang themselves. In a 2 party system, the out-of-power party does not have to do a single thing right to win, they merely have to be the other party on the ballot when the ruling party screws up.

Dan, the Democrats could push a bill that is marketable. Expand Medicare to all and people can choose between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage. The latter preserves private competition. The hard part is figuring out premiums, but not impossible. The Republicans are dumb for not proposing this on their own.